Shoplifting call leads to twins' arrests

Just before 6 p.m., a Covington police officer was dispatched to the Raceway on U.S. Highway 278.

Dispatch notified the officer that three black males — two who appeared to be tall and twins, the other short, with dreads, and wearing a red jacket — had shoplifted from the store and fled crossing the railroad tracks toward Geiger Street. The officer searched the area and found three males matching the description walking north on Carlton Trail approaching Village Drive.

The officer pulled his patrol car up to the three males when one of the males, later identified as Kyle Gooden, began to separate himself from the other two males, the report said.

When the officer exited his vehicle, Gooden ran toward Carlton Trail. The officer reportedly alerted Gooden that if he didn’t stop, he would use his Taser. When Gooden didn’t comply, officer used his Taser. Gooden, who at first appeared to stumble as the wire from the Taser broke, did not fall but kept running, the report stated.

According to the report, after a search, officers arrested Gooden and charged him with obstruction of an officer. His brother, Gary Gooden, was charged with criminal trespassing. Officers reviewed the surveillance video at the store and determined that the other male did not take anything from the store.

Oxford man arrested on drug charges

A man who reportedly parked in the middle of the road in a neighborhood in Oxford was arrested on drug charges.

A report from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy patrolling the area of Bryant Road and Edge Drive on Feb. 8 noticed a parked car, occupied by a man, on Edge Drive. The deputy got out of his patrol car to investigate and found Steven Johns, of Oxford, in the car. The deputy ran the tag on the vehicle, which was found to have a suspended registration and no insurance.

According to the report, when Johns was asked to step out of the vehicle, he told the deputy that he was there because he saw the deputies in front of his and his friend’s house, and that he called him to see if everything was OK.

The deputy asked to search Johns and his vehicle, and Johns agreed. Inside his wallet, an I.D. card and a Georgia Conceal ed Weapons Permit, which belonged to another male, were reportedly found. The deputy also found a green pill — thought to be Xanax, a large amount of tools, including night vision googles and several electronics. Johns was arrested and taken to the Newton County Jail. Once at the jail, the deputy found a bag of seeds and a green leafy substance, which reportedly smelled like marijuana.

Johns was charged with possession of marijuana, driving on a suspended registration and the possession, manufacturing or sale of Schedule III drugs.